Gynocentric
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Gynocentrism is a dominant or exclusive focus on women in theory or practice. Anything can be gynocentric when it is considered exclusively with a female point of view in mind.


Etymology

The term ''gynocentrism'' is derived from
ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
, γυνή and κέντρον. Γυνή can be translated as ''woman'' or ''female'', but also as ''wife''. In ancient Greek compounds with γυνή, the stem γυναικ- is normally used. This stem can be spotted in the genitive case γυναικός, and in the older form of the nominative case γύναιξ. In ancient Greek, no compounds are known to exist with γυνή that start with γυνο- or γυνω-. The ancient Greek word κέντρον can be translated as ''sharp point'', ''sting (of bees and wasps)'', ''point of a spear'' and ''stationary point of a pair of compasses'', with the meaning ''centre of a circle'' related to the latter. The meaning ''centre/middle point (of a circle)'' is preserved in the Latin word ''centrum'', a
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...
from ancient Greek. The English word ''centre'' is derived from the Latin ''centrum''. The word κέντρον is derived from the verb κεντεῖν, meaning ''to sting (of bees)'', ''to prick'', ''to goad'', and ''to spur''. When trying to explain etymologically the term ''gynocentrism'', it is important to consider the ancient Greek κέντρον, with the signification ''middle point/centre'', and not the more obvious ancient Greek word κεντρισμός (mirroring ''-centrism'').


History

The term gynocentrism has been in use since at least 1897 when it appeared in The Open Court stating that Continental Europeans view Americans "as suffering rather from gynocentrism than anthropocentrism." In 1914, author
George A. Birmingham George A. Birmingham was the pen name of James Owen Hannay (16 July 1865 – 2 February 1950), Irish clergyman and prolific novelist.Taylor, Brian (1995). ''The Life and Writings of James Owen Hannay (George Birmingham) 1865-1950.'' (Studies ...
found American social life to be "gynocentric"; it was "arranged with a view to the convenience and delight of women." Beginning with
second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains. Wh ...
in the 1970s, the term gynocentrism has been used to describe
difference feminism Difference feminism holds that there are differences between men and women but that no value judgment can be placed upon them and both sexes have equal moral status as persons. The term "difference feminism" developed during the "equality-versus ...
, which displayed a shift towards understanding and accepting gender differences, in contrast to equality feminism.


In contemporary society

The
Men Going Their Own Way Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW ) is an anti-feminist, misogynistic, mostly-online community advocating for men to separate themselves from women and from a society which they believe has been corrupted by feminism. The community is a part o ...
(MGTOW) community, noted for their anti-feminism, describes themselves as a backlash against the "misandry of gynocentrism". According to University of Massachusetts philosopher Christa Hodapp, in modern men's movements gynocentrism is described as a continuation of the
courtly love Courtly love ( oc, fin'amor ; french: amour courtois ) was a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. Medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing vari ...
conventions of medieval times, wherein women were valued as a quasi-
aristocratic class The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
, and males were seen as a lower serving class. This viewpoint describes
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
as the perpetuation of oppressive medieval conventions such as devotional chivalry and romanticized relationships, rather than as a movement towards liberation. In a 2019 study of Trinidad society published in the ''Justice Policy Journal'', researchers concluded that "gynocentrism pervades all aspects of the criminal justice system as well as society."


Criticism

Some post-modern feminists such as Nancy Fraser question the assumption of a stable concept of 'woman' which underlies all gynocentrism. Christina Hoff Sommers has argued that gynocentrism is anti-intellectual and holds an antagonistic view of traditional scientific and creative disciplines, dismissing many important discoveries and artistic works as masculine. Sommers also writes that the presumption of objectivity ascribed to many gynocentrist theories has stifled feminist discourse and interpretation. Feminist writer
Lynda Burns Lynda is a spelling variation of the feminine given name Linda. Notable people with the name include: People Arts and entertainment * Lynda Adams, later Hunt (1920–1997), Canadian diver * Lynda Baron (1939–2022), British television actress * Ly ...
emphasises that gynocentrism calls for a celebration of women's positive differences—of women's history, myths, arts and music—as opposed to an assimilationist model privileging similarity to men. However observed in practice, the preeminence of women associated with gynocentric narratives is often seen as absolute: interpersonally, culturally, historically, politically, or in broader social contexts such as popular entertainment. As such, it can shade into what
Rosalind Coward Rosalind Coward is a journalist and writer. She is an Emeritus Professor of journalism at Roehampton University, and a former member of the board of Greenpeace UK (2005–12). Education Coward gained her first degree in English literature fr ...
called "womanism... a sort of popularized version of feminism which acclaims everything women do and disparages men". Coward, Rosalind (2000),
Introduction
, in
In the 2006 book ''Legalizing Misandry'' religious studies professors Paul Nathanson and
Katherine K. Young Katherine K. Young is a Canadians, Canadian religious studies professor at McGill University. Originally a scholar of Hinduism, in later life her interests have turned to the topic of misandry. Life She was awarded her Master of Arts, M.A. from th ...
claim that feminist calls for equality or equity are a subterfuge for gynocentrism. Nathanson and Young state that ideologically, the overriding focus of gynocentrism is to prioritize women hierarchically, and as a result may be interpreted as misandry (hatred of and prejudice towards men). They claim that gynocentrism as a worldview has become de rigueur in law courts and government bureaucracies, resulting in systemic discrimination against men. They define gynocentrism as a form of
essentialism Essentialism is the view that objects have a set of attributes that are necessary to their identity. In early Western thought, Plato's idealism held that all things have such an "essence"—an "idea" or "form". In ''Categories'', Aristotle sim ...
as it focuses on the innate virtues of women and the innate vices of men.


See also

* Androcentrism *
Gynocriticism Gynocriticism or gynocritics is the term coined in the seventies by Elaine Showalter to describe a new literary project intended to construct "a female framework for the analysis of women's literature". By expanding the historical study of women w ...
* Princess sickness


References


External links


Peter Wright, 'Gynocentrism As A Narcissistic Pathology'

Iris M. Young, 'Humanism, Gynocentrism and Feminist Politics'

Gynocentrism and its Cultural Origins

Gynocentric Eco-Logics


{{Feminism Feminist criticism Matriarchy Feminism